I'm good! Doing a little guitar noodling before Certain Death Rehearsal.
For people not in the know, can you give a history of your musical history, bands formed and which bands you’re part of now. As you’ve had quite a varied career being part of bands from different musical scenes.
When I first moved to NYC (15 years ago) I started doing open mics and really started cutting my teeth playing live. After that I formed Dead Seconds and later joined up with some long time friends to create Grandpa Jack. I would say that’s when I really started getting more involved with other musicians which kind of opened the door for more acts like 95 Bulls and Certain Death. Our common ground is just from being in the Brooklyn scene. I met Henry of Certain Death from mutual musician friends. I new the bulls because Grandpa Jack shared a rehearsal space with them for years.
You’ve released quite a wide range of solo records since 2018. How would you describe your music for these records? As they’re quite different from each other.
I would say they are pretty different from one another but they all share some sort of weird southern twang or soul. From folky bluesy to this weird sort of alternative psych rock Im playing now, they all contain that bluesy southern grunge thing.
Your upcoming new album A Cosmic Year does seem to be perhaps your heaviest solo work to date with you exploring sounds such as Doom, Blues, Psych, Stoner and Progressive Rock. How would you describe your overall sound for your upcoming new album
I wanted to harness some more of the doom acts but also some old school psych. I want Santana grooves with The Sword breakdowns thrown in. This album is the first with a fair amount of synth added as well. I really love the swirling and ominous textures they can add.
What can people expect from the album and what is the creative outline or story for the album.
I went on a camping trip with hopes of working on some lyrics. I started writing “Fire Rider” and just sort of started riffing on ideas about an alternate origin story for life on earth. As I put pen to paper I saw a meteor and took it as a sign to commit to the concept. A malicious force (fire rider) crashes into earth and we (and every living organism) are descendants and all contain that little bit of hate and predatory inclination. Which is pessimistic and weird but it made for a cool album. It's also chronological so some of the ambient sound-bath songs are intended to represent the 5 mass extinctions earth has undergone to date.
Where did the name A Cosmic Year for the album come from
A cosmic year is the time it takes our solar system to travel around the milky way. I was just pontificating on more astral ideas and the idea that we are just sort of specks in the ether. This album is a couple years in the making and a lot has happened for me personally in that time as well so I thought it was fitting. Fun face, when I first started working on the album I considered calling it confessional for some reason :).
Was this an easy or hard album to record, make and produce compared to you compared to your other albums.
This one was difficult. Because I write and record everything myself, sometimes it takes a while to add all the layers. After recording the music, writing the lyrics was especially tough.
What is the creative process for yourself when writing new music for your solo work and within your other musical projects Certain Death and 95 Bulls.
Solo work is all me late night just sort of riffing around and building songs from those ideas. 95 Bulls is more jamming together as a band. Someone will bring a riff idea to practice and we just sort of play around with it and talk it over while creating flow and dynamics.
Did your daily struggles, challenges and uplifting moments in life shape up the creative outline for the album
I think when I first started writing this album I was in a bit of a darker place so it was kind of convenient to lean into this dark narrative concept I had created. Themes range from addiction to self sabotage.
What bands, artists or other collective entities inspire and influence you for A Cosmic Year and your music in general.
I listen to a lot of heavy psych stuff both old and new. Fuzz, Slift, Karkara, Grand Funk Railroad, Wicked Lady, Santana, The Mars Volta, Wand, All Them Witches, Wolf People, The Black Angels, and Budgie just to name a few.
Who is releasing A Cosmic Year and what formats is the album being released upon.
Im putting out A Cosmic Year myself and will likely do a very limited run of vinyl.
You're from New York in the USA. What is the local Rock/Metal scene like there? Is there a thriving gig scene and community that allows you to perform regularly or do you have to travel further afield to perform on a regular basis.
I'm originally from North Carolina but have been in NYC for over a decade. There’s definitely a thriving punk and metal scene. I have sort of always struggled to find a scene based solely on musical style and genre. I think my musical network is currently based more on comradery and supporting one another. We all contain some elements of psych but the delivery definitely varies from band to band.
What future gigs have you coming up with and will you be promoting the album more this year.
I will be doing an album release show in August as well as numerous shows and tours with both 95 Bulls (west coast) and Certain Death (Southern).
What are your favourite venues when you have toured in the past. Any particular venues or locations you always look forward to when touring.
I really loved Kids in the Antwerp. I only had the pleasure of playing once, but its a really sick rock club in a really cool city.
What bands or artists influenced you to pick up an instrument and to become a musician.
JIMI FREAKIN HENDRIX
Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom for your fans currently out there
The world’s a pretty weird place right now, but that’s not always a bad thing. Let the weird in. Nothing real is ever lost, it’s just echoing somewhere else.
Words by Steve Howe and Matt C. White
Thanks to Matt for doing this interview.
A Cosmic Year will be out to buy in August 2025.
Links
www.mattcwhite.com
www.Instagram.com/Matt_C_White
